French runners pulled off a tour de pressure on the World Mountain and Path Working Championships in Innsbruck, Austria, on Friday, with Benjamin Roubiol and Marion Delespierre successful gold within the males’s and ladies’s 86.9-km long-trail occasions.
Roubiol positioned first in 9:52:59 and was joined on the rostrum by second-place Italy’s Andreas Reiterer (10:00:46), and Peter Frano from Slovakia in third (10:02:10).
Late comeback
The 23-year-old Rubiol’s gold-medal end got here as a shock to many, as Reiterer had located himself firmly within the lead for greater than 45 kilometres. The Italian was operating solo at instances, leaving a altering area in pursuit as much as six minutes behind. However after having handed three peaks and the flat method to Kranebitten, the climb as much as the Nordkette triggered Reiterer bother, permitting Roubiol to cross the Italian simply earlier than the Aspach hut.
France punctuated Roubiol’s gorgeous efficiency in Innsbruck by claiming two podium spots within the ladies’s lengthy path race. Delespierre received the occasion in 11:22:31; Germany’s Katharina Hartmuth ran 11:29:14 to put second, and France’s Manon Bohard Cailler completed third in 11:34:22.
How the Canadians did
The Canadian ladies’s crew completed eighth general out of 27 groups, led by Calgary’s Arden Younger, who positioned thirty fourth general in 13:10:54. Anne-Marie Madden and Mylene Sansoucy each landed inside the highest 50 to solidify Group Canada’s top-10 consequence. The lads’s crew wound up thirteenth of 33 groups with all 5 males inserting inside the highest 70. Jean-Philippe Thibodeau of Quebec was the highest Canadian in forty sixth place, an hour and 23 minutes again of the leaders. Thibodeau received the Quebec Mega Path 50K in June 2022.
Thursday’s races
France’s spectacular exhibiting Friday got here on the heels of the nation taking gold in Thursday’s ladies’s 45.2-km short-trail occasion. Clementine Geoffray received the race, protecting 3,121 verticle metres from Innsbruck to Neustift im Stubaital in 4:53:12 forward of two Swiss runners; Judith Wyder positioned second in 4:55:13, adopted by Theres Leboeuf for third (5:09:29).
Two Canadians crack high 20 at World Mountain and Path Working Championships
In Thursday’s males’s short-trail occasion, Norway’s Stian Angermund ran 4:19:00 to efficiently defend his short-trail title towards second-place British runner Thomas Roach (4:21:18) and Italy’s Luca del Pero, who completed third in 4:22:04. Angermund and Roach took the lead quickly after the beginning within the centre of Innsbruck, operating the primary 14.15 kilometres in a trio with Britain’s Jonathan Albon earlier than Angermund was in a position to draw back. The path to the Kalkkögel leads over slippery fields of snow, and Angermund managed to increase his result in greater than 90 seconds. It briefly appeared the race might get shut once more as Angermund slowed right down to a strolling tempo simply earlier than reaching the route’s highest level on the Starkenberger hut. On the downhill, weaving by means of the avalanche boundaries right down to Neustift, Angermund accelerated once more and was in a position to maintain his rivals at bay, permitting him to run down the ultimate switchbacks to Neustift with out strain.
Click on right here for full outcomes from the 2023 World Mountain and Path Working Championships in Innsbruck, Austria.
